Sylvania



JOHN MCLAUGHLIN vAND.nENJAlvi 1N F. DEAN, OF COLUMBIA, PENN- ,sYLvANin w Letters Patent No. 87,351, dated Ma/rch 2, 1869.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-SWITCH The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

WF- I To all whom it 'mafy concern Beit known that we, JOHN McLAUeHLlN and BEN- JAMIN F. DEAN, of the borough of Columbia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented' new and useful Improvements on Switches for Railroads; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact V description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ordinary switch with our improvementsV in place.

Figures 2 and 4 illustrate the operation.

Figure 3, the switch-.rod and ground-lever separated;

frequently, in-serious loss of life'and valuable property..A

To enable any one skilled in the art to make and use our invention, it' is only necessary to refer to our drawings. Y

In iig. 1 weshow the switch-rod A, connected to the shifting pair of rails R R in the ordinary manner.

On the end lof this rod, between the boxes or bearingsB B', are two posts, or uprights, D, with a space between them for the reception ofthe tumbler or crank. We also show a cap-piece, d, secured with a headed screw-bolt and burr, whichis, however, unnecessary, as the action will be the same'without this cap, as the journals are usually made smaller. `This plan is'used for cranks now in use.

Fig. 3 shows the same rod, A, terminated by a slot at right angles to the rod, made in a piece or part of the rod, the slot being sufficiently long to receive the tumbler, thrust in and turned down.

We make our box B of a single piece, with a bearing for the journal-part'of the crank to be thrust in.

Y The other box, B', is` necessarily made in two parts, in the ordinary manner, but we fasten the boxes by large-headed screw-bolts, entered from the top, and secured` beneath the head-block with a burr' andJ patent washer. l This prevents all chance of tampering with the bolts.-

Fig. 4 shows .an open slot between'uprights 1` 2, and`l illustrates the action of the tumbler against the sides within the slot, so as to move the rod in a horizontal plane, as shown at three points 1 2, `thus shifting the rails without-a tendency to raise the rod fromits level position, and so as to require no hinge, spring; or slotted guide-plate and bolts, with screw-nuts exposed above.

E,fig. 1, shows an improvement to secure the groundlever. This is made with a slot, for the reception ofan eye on a post, which is also provided with a screw-end, for

a patent washer'and burr under the `head-block, and` when the lever is in place and locked, there is no tampering with this arrangement; and we verily believe many accidents that have occurred, would have been avoided, had this switch-arrangement been in use.

We have examined various devices having the same .object in view, but all, of which we have any knowledge,

differsubstantially in arrangement and construction.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure byrLetters Patent, is

The manner of confining the action of the tumbler or crank C in an open or closed slot, D, formed on or part of the switch-rod A, substantially in the manner shown, for the purpose specified.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN. BENJAMIN F. DEAN. Witnesses:

H. M. NORTH, JOHN J. MGTAGEN. 

